The Run4It Podcast

We’re back! In this episode, Finlay and new co-host Jack discuss the science behind tapering: what tapering is and why tapering is so important before race day. 

While (as you’ll hear) every taper is highly individual, it typically involves the gradual reduction in training load (both distance and intensity) in the final two to three weeks ahead of an event, such as a marathon.

Finlay and Jack delve into why running and tapering are equally essential parts of a complete training cycle – covering the dos and don’ts of how to taper effectively, why rest and recovery leads to improved performance, and how trusting in the taper gets easier with experience!

00:19:40 - Optimal weekly decreases in training load of approximately 25 percent.
00:25:57 - Top tips to make the most of your taper - kit, sleep, nutrition and more.

If you find this week's episode helpful, you may also enjoy our episode on zone 2 training.

To get in touch, email: [email protected].

In this episode Chris and Finlay run through the fundamentals of putting together your winter running wardrobe. 

Whether this is your first winter as a runner, or it's always a season that blights your progress, this episode will run through how to build you running wardrobe to withstand the wind, rain, and cold. 

To get in touch, email: the [email protected].

Finlay wears his sports scientist hat in this episode while Chris grills him about heart rate variability (HRV) - the long-celebrated metric in sports science that measures the time variance between heartbeats to give an indication of stress and how prepared the body is to perform. 

The new Garmin Forerunners 255 and 955 both come with long-term HRV tracking functionality, meaning Garmin watches are now providing something recreational athletes previously needed a Whoop band and subscription to monitor. Fortunately, Finlay's been using a Whoop band for sometime, and recently upgraded his watch to the Forerunner 255, and has been using both pieces of kit to compare them.

So...

Is HRV the game changer prominent athletes make it out to be? Yes, undoubtedly. Does it apply to someone who isn't a professional athlete or an aspiring king of the hill club runner? Well actually, yes, and the more recreational your running, and the busier, more time-crunched your life is between work and family commitments, the more applicable monitoring your HRV could be, not only to your athletic performance, but to your general health and wellbeing. 

Listen to find out more.

To get in touch, email: [email protected].

Trail running can vary from well manicured gravel roads, all the way up to braving the elements across challenging skyline routes. In many ways, it's road running without the concrete, but steeper gradients and inconsistent terrains can make the physical and logistical demands of the trails completely different.

In this episode Chris and Finlay discuss everything you need to know to get started in trail running, whether you're just looking to mix up your surroundings and break the monotony of pounding the same old pavements, or you have ambitions to take to the mountains and tackle monster distances. They're talking shoes, kit, and some key tips, both mental and technical, to make the transition away from the asphalt a little easier.

To get in touch, email: [email protected].  

This week's episode is a first-hand recap of what it's like to qualify and compete at the IRONMAN World Championships in Hawaii from our own co-host Finlay McAndrew.

Kona is a unique event in all sports. Thousands of triathletes pilgrimage to Hawaii in October every year, each and every one of them having earned their coveted spots as professionals or in their age-groups to compete on IRONMAN's main stage.

Finlay last raced in his age-group at the world championships in 2016, but having only qualified a few months before, fell short of his own expectations. Having qualified again at IRONMAN Barcelona in 2019 with a PB of 8:42:11, with the subsequent delays due to the pandemic, the 2022 race represented the culmination of over a decade of racing long distance triathlon. It presented an opportunity to go back to Kona and race in a way that he could cross the line and feel satisfied with what he'd done. 

Regular listeners will be familiar with the extent of Finlay's preparation for his return to Kona - working on developing his metabolic plasticity through a high fat, low carb approach to nutrition, and utilising heat training protocols to prepare for Kona's unique racing conditions. If you've followed his journey at all, this is not one to miss, but even if this is your first experience of the Run4It Podcast and you're just a fan of a hard-working athletes on long pursuits of lofty goals, the same applies. 

To get in touch, email: [email protected]. 

In this episode Dr Gert-Peter Brüggemann and Andre Kriwet - two of True Motion's founders - join Chris and Finlay to talk about their challenge to the running shoe industry. 

In this episode you'll see just how deeply involved and influential Dr Brüggemann and Andre have been in the industry, get a real insight into how much work goes into developing and building new running shoes, and learn what they're doing differently to help runners now that they're running their own company. 

If you've laced up a premium pair of running shoes in the last 20 years, the chances are one or both of our guests has had some influence on their design. 

True Motion is a highly technical, science-based running shoe brand on a mission to reduce injuries for everyday runners. 

To get in touch, email: [email protected]. 

In this episode we're joined by James Dunn, a former Scottish Hill Running champ, and a 2:22 marathoner (among other distinctions). He's also a tech rep for ON running and is a long-time Run4It team member. 

James talks to Chris and Finlay about his storied running journey so far, including his recent switch from hills and mountains to the asphalt, and gives an introduction into the history and the principles behind ON Running shoes.

This edition is chock-full of practical advice, fascinating insights, and earnest wisdom from a man who lives and breathes the sport of running. 

To get in touch, email: [email protected].

In this episode respiratory physio Andy Smith joins Chris and Finlay to talk about how to go about getting back to training after suffering from long Covid. 

As well as offering insights from his work as a respiratory physio, Andy also discusses his experience of getting back to training following a bout of long Covid at the start of the year. 

This is broad-strokes, practical advice for recreational athletes unsure of how to get back to training following prolonged bouts of Covid. 

To get in touch, email: [email protected].

In this episode Chris and Finlay do a deep dive into how to fuel for endurance sports, from the half marathon up to ultras. 

Taking on the correct nutrition to sustain long, arduous training runs and to allow the body to execute on race day is an area frequently neglected by everyday athletes, with it too often being relegated to an afterthought. 

This episode looks at the science behind why the body needs to take on extra carbohydrates and electrolytes during longer runs and races, and lays out the tools to put into practice an effective nutrition plan.

To get in touch, email: [email protected]. 

Base miles, easy running, long slow distance, zone 2... it's got a lot of names but they all refer to the low intensity work that should make up the bulk of any endurance athlete's training.

In this episode, Chris and Finlay discuss the science behind why zone 2 training is important to long term improvement and how to effectively implement it, be that through perceived rate of exertion (RPE), heart rate (HR), pace curves, or power, and the reasons why most runners tend to get it wrong and end up training in the "grey zone" - too fast to benefit from the gains of slower running, too slow to benefit from the gains of faster running.

If you find this week's episode helpful, you may also enjoy our episodes discussing the high fat, low carb approach to fuelling endurance sports, and heat training. 

To get in touch, email: [email protected].